Chapter 1, none of them are good people

The eldest brother cast a sidelong glance at Yinzuo, snorted through his nostrils as a form of acknowledgment; however, the third brother was warm-hearted, helping Yinzuo up and laughing, "Little Six, we don't need to go through all this formality between us, haha, it's your first time here today, and you might not be familiar with the rules of our study."

What? The dog doesn't bark, is it surnamed Naiqian? Yingzuo was momentarily distracted, and it took him a long time to come to his senses. He asked if it was about "if one does not teach, nature will change," and was stunned for a brief moment. The younger brothers below started saying all sorts of things, anything unpleasant was mentioned. ... Just as the chaos was unfolding, a cold snort came from the doorway ...

As spring gives way to autumn, more than half a year has passed. Perhaps it is the miraculous effect of Sun Yizheng's prescription, or perhaps Yin Zuo has undergone a change of soul, or maybe it is the effectiveness of Yin Zuo's waist muscles. In any case, Yin Zuo's frail body has gradually improved, spending each day idly with the palace maids, embracing one and hugging another, indulging to the fullest, even causing nosebleeds several times. Unfortunately, while he has the desire, he lacks the strength. However, to put it another way, within the inner palace, it is rare to find someone with male attributes. Although it may be a bit small, merely for viewing and not for use, it has nonetheless alleviated the cravings of many palace maids, making it hard to say who has taken advantage of whom.

Having been in this dynasty for more than half a year, Yinzuo had indeed heard of the reputation of the capital's premier tavern—Wangyue Tower, known as a famous den of indulgence. One would need at least a thousand or eight hundred taels to even enter the door. Yet, the group of little brats before him, the oldest no more than thirteen or fourteen, and the youngest merely five or six, appeared to be regular patrons of Wangyue Tower, familiar with the place. What kind of people are these!

According to the Great Qing Code, princes must begin their education upon reaching the age of five. The only exception was Yinzuo, who, due to his frail constitution from a young age, had never attended school for a single day. His daily routine consisted of lying in bed taking medicine or sitting up to take medicine. Although he had never received any formal education, he had consumed a considerable amount of medicine, and over time, he became familiar with many prescriptions, effectively becoming a self-taught expert in medicine due to his prolonged illness

What? School? Yinzuo widened his eyes. Two young eunuchs who had come to deliver the imperial edict hurriedly bowed and smiled, saying: "Sixth Master, this is His Majesty's decree. The other princes have already been waiting in the study; you are the only one missing."

Ah, the brothers have gathered quite well, except for the Ninth Brother who is still nursing and thus not qualified to enter this study. The rest are all here: the burly and tall Yinxi is buried in his books, not even lifting his eyes, though it seems he is holding the book upside down; dressed in bright yellow attire, Yinreng, bearing the title of Crown Prince, sits boldly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as if there were a spring palace painting up there; on this cold day, Yinzh and Yinqi are energetically fanning themselves with their folding fans; Yinyou and Yinzhe are a pair, one yawning and the other picking his nose; the fourth brother, Yinzhen, is even more remarkable, with a cold expression that clearly reads two words—"pay back the money," as if everyone owes him five hundred taels; in short, these fellows simply did not notice Yinzuo who had just entered the study.

The Hall of Supreme Study, where the princes attended school, was also the venue for discussions after Emperor Kangxi's court sessions. In addition to being taught various subjects by the Hanlin scholars, the princes' attendance at the Hall of Supreme Study was primarily aimed at allowing them to observe the ministers' deliberations, thereby nurturing their political talents from a young age.

Oh, it's you, Xiao Liu. You seem to be in great health, which is not easy to come by. A few days ago, the brothers and I were discussing finding some tonics for you to help you recover, but it seems that won't be necessary now. Since you are here, make sure to study well and don't embarrass our Tian family.

Oh, I am waiting to pay my respects. My days as a civil servant in my past life were not spent in vain, so I shall go and pay my respects to everyone.

Yin Zuo, you answer this question. Do not be deceived by Mr. Miao's squinting eyes; his gaze is as sharp as a dagger.

Look at what you are saying, as if we would definitely bring disgrace to the imperial family. Well, you are just destined to be a prince for forty years, and you will never rise to power; we won't hold it against you. Yinzuo maintained his smile, chuckling: "What the Crown Prince said is true; I will definitely study hard and strive for improvement every day."

I can't believe it, these two little brats are singing in harmony, it seems they are here to pull a fast one, and with a hefty sum of fifty taels of silver. If these two were in their past lives, they would definitely be working for the underworld. Before Yinzuo could respond, the seventh and eighth brothers immediately announced loudly: "Great! Today, the sixth brother is treating us, let's meet at Wangyue Tower."

Rules? What are the rules in the study? Yinzuo was still in a daze when the fifth brother, Yinqi, closed his fan and cheerfully interjected: "When you first enter the study, you must give us a hint. Today, the Wangyue Tower will be hosted by the sixth brother. Also, regarding the copying fee, we won't charge you much; it's fifty taels of silver for one copy. How about that?"

According to the established rules, before the brothers opened their official offices, each received a monthly allowance of five hundred taels, and the same was true for Yinzuo. However, that money was managed by the Wuyashi family, and Yinzuo had not a single large coin to his name. Not to mention treating guests at Wangyuelou, he couldn't even afford the fifty taels needed for a writing brush. Therefore, it was certainly impossible to invite guests. Furthermore, a person with a psychological age nearing thirty being extorted by a group of young children was simply unreasonable. Yinzuo's eyes twinkled as he cheerfully said, "Alright, alright, it's just treating guests, isn't it? When the Emperor arrives later, I will ask him for some silver, and I will definitely not let my brothers down."

If we are to go, then let us go. We were born in the New China and grew up under the red flag. Major exams occur every three, six, or nine months, while minor exams happen daily. What difficulty is there in attending school? Let us proceed.

"No, we are just joking around, having some fun. How could Xiao Liu take it seriously? Haha, the weather is nice today, haha." As soon as these brothers heard that Yinzuo was going to report to their father, they immediately scattered like birds and beasts. Just you wait, I can’t deal with you all? I know you are all secretly messing around behind our father’s back. Yinzuo sat down in his seat with a beaming face.

This greeting also requires knowledge. The Second Prince, as the heir apparent, must be the first to step forward and pay his respects. "I have met the Crown Prince, Brother," Yinzuo said with a beaming smile, his eyes nearly squinting into slits.

Miao Tong can be considered an old Hanlin scholar. He achieved the highest honor at the age of twenty-five and has spent nearly twenty years in the Hanlin Academy without being assigned to any external posts. His official career has not been particularly successful, but his scholarship is genuinely substantial; he is indeed a true top scholar. It seems somewhat excessive to use him as a tutor for these princes, a luxury only afforded by emperors and those in the realm of books. While Yinzuo listened to Mr. Miao's melodious and measured recitation, his mind was preoccupied with the trivial matters of the royal family, wandering off to who knows where.

Greetings to you, elder brother

What? What is the fee for the assignment? Yinzuo was completely confused, and immediately the third brother chimed in: "Ha, after class the master will definitely assign homework. Since Xiao Liu has never studied literature, this assignment will surely be a difficult task. As brothers, we can't just watch you, Xiao Liu, struggle, can we? We'll help you out with this assignment, but we should be compensated for our efforts, right?"

The "Three Character Classic" and the "Thousand Character Classic"—ha, this is simple! Taking advantage of the fact that the teacher from the Hanlin Academy had not yet arrived, Yinzuo quickly flipped through these two books. Little did he know that upon a glance, he would be astonished. How could it be? Just by casually flipping through, everything he encountered was deeply etched in his mind, as if he had already known it all along. Incredible! He could actually remember everything at a glance, no words needed, just one word: exhilarating! Yinzuo was nearly overwhelmed with joy.

Yinzhen, who had been cold-faced, slammed the table and stood up: "Nonsense! There is no place to insult people." The third and fifth brothers completely disregarded the fourth's antics, responding with smiles: "Oh, the Crown Prince hasn't said anything yet, what kind of madness is the fourth brother displaying? Crown Prince, what do you say?" Yinzhen merely smiled and remained silent.